Free Faking It by Diane Albert Page B

stepped out into the hot Miami air, she wasn’t sure if she was burning with humiliation or lust. She didn’t even know what he wanted right now—to get away from her as quickly as possible, or to drag her home and make love to her.
    But she knew Derek Rory confused the hell out of her, and if she didn’t get her head on straight, she was in trouble.

Chapter Seven
    Derek opened the cab door for Stephanie, then slid into the seat after her. He kept his distance. She made him lose control, and he couldn’t afford that. He’d nearly snapped in the restaurant and disgraced himself—and her—in public. He wouldn’t treat her so cheaply.
    And he wouldn’t forget his place.
    Always be a gentleman in public, or no one will take you seriously in life. His father’s memory was a devil on his shoulder, reminding him how inappropriately he’d behaved. He despised his father and everything he stood for, yet his conditioning still remained. Every time he wanted to relax. Every time he so much as dared to smile. That voice was there, telling him if he wanted to get ahead in the world, he had to forget the joy that had once been in both their lives.
    Forget his mother, who’d been just as bright and vivid and full of unrestrained warmth as Stephanie. When his mother had died, his father had changed. He’d forgotten how to live, and it was as if Derek—who took after his mother in coloration, who shared her softly inflected accent—reminded him every day of what he’d lost. His father had done everything he could to eradicate every trace of the woman from her son, under the pretense of preparing him for the business world.
    He was starting to think he’d lost something more valuable than a sense of humor.
    He was starting to crack. And it was because of Stephanie. Aaron’s sister . Aaron would have him dumped in a federal prison if Derek touched her, and he’d kissed her without a second thought.
    In just a few days she had turned him upside down, and he kept going back for more. She drew him in, made him forget his propriety, made him forget everything but how much he wanted her. Even now, the sight of her fiddling with the skirt of her dress roused an unfamiliar fondness, a warmth that felt almost alien. She thought he’d been laughing at her.
    No—he’d laughed with her, because of her, simply for the delight of being in her presence.
    And it made no sense to him.
    He dragged a hand through his hair and made himself break the silence. Made himself speak, with an honesty he was accustomed to repressing. “You’re right about me. I’m too serious. So serious that I don’t normally do things like that.”
    She was still trembling. It did nothing for his self-control. “But you just did.”
    “But I shouldn’t have.”
    She stiffened. “Right. Gotcha loud and clear. Thanks.”
    “It isn’t you.”
    “Then what?”
    “I…” He could hear the loud squeak of his teeth grinding. How could he explain a lifetime of conditioning, when he could barely force two words out? “My father wouldn’t approve of such unseemly behavior.”
    “Aren’t you a little old for Daddy issues?”
    “Probably.”
    “Then stop letting them control you.” She unbuckled and climbed over to him, resting her hand on his chest. “Maybe it’s time to be your own man. Do you even know who you are, under his brainwashing?”
    “Yes. No. I don’t know.” He took a ragged breath. “I thought I did. You confuse that and make me lose my way. When I lose my way, I usually do something stupid and rash.”
    She withdrew, leaving him cold, and looked out the window. “Like kissing me?”
    “Like kissing you.”
    “Ouch.”
    “I don’t mean it that way. I just…” He fought to find the right words. “This isn’t how this is meant to work.”
    “Then how is it meant to work?”
    “I’m doing a favor for my best friend’s little sister. Nothing more.”
    Her eyes closed. Her lashes were like crushed black diamonds against her